MARTIN KEOWN: City cannot give taller rivals United an inch in derby

MARTIN KEOWN: What Manchester City lack in height, they must make up for with aggression when dealing with Manchester United’s bombardment.

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What Manchester City lack in height, they must make up for with aggression when dealing with Manchester United's bombardment.

They cannot feel timid, or go to a ball expecting to lose it. At Arsenal, I was 6ft 2in with Steve Bould and Tony Adams at 6ft 4in. When it came to aerial battles, I did not care how tall I was. I knew I had to win the ball.

You cannot let the forward see your number. If you do, he'll jump over the back of you. You want him in front so you can have a good look at him and know when to leap.

Vincent Kompany will be key to nullifying Romelu Lukaku, if he can last the full 90 minutes

Nicolas Otamendi is only 5ft 10in but he possesses great spring. He must use that to his advantage when facing 6ft 3in Romelu Lukaku.

It is crucial he keeps Lukaku at arm's length, otherwise the striker will pin Otamendi, lean on him, prise him off the ball and make it impossible for him to get elevation.

Vincent Kompany will be key to this game if he lasts the 90 minutes. At 6ft 4in, he is the perfect defender to face Lukaku. The United forward is a juggernaut. He is able to absorb the hits and keep running for the ball.

When United faced Arsenal last week, Laurent Koscielny coped with the pace of United's attacks, but was dumped off the ball too easily.

United hold a height advantage across the squad over their arch rivals City

Not only does Kompany have the attributes to deal with United's aerial threat, but he has the strength and body type to deal with his fellow Belgian's buccaneering runs.

Kompany's battle with Lukaku on Sunday will be a coming together of two real giants.

Former European champions Olympique Marseille survived an anxious night to draw 0-0 at home to Salzburg and reach the Europa League last 32 on Thursday where they were joined by Athletic Bilbao and Red Star Belgrade. Bilbao avoided an ignominious group stage exit as they won 2-0 at Ukrainian side…